Knicks Fall to Hawks Amidst Top Pick's Breakout

Top rookie Zaccharie Risacher's first breakout ended the New York Knicks' road trip on a sour note.

Nov 6, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) fights for rebound with Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela (15) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks played witness to some early history but it's safe to say they didn't enjoy it.

Zaccarie Risacher's infantile career night ended the Knicks' first major road trip of the season on a sour note, as New York dropped a 121-116 decision to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night at State Farm Arena.

Risacher, the debut pick from the most recent draft, came into Wednesday's tilt averaging 9.4 points over his first eight professional showings but broke loose for a team-best 31 points en route to the victory.

With most of that tally built through a 6-of-10 effort from three-point range, Risacher became the fifth rookie sink at least six from deep against the Knicks. Lauri Markkanen holds the record with eight while Mike Miller, Landry Shamet, and Coby White have likewise pulled that off.

Despite trailing for most of Wednesday's game, the Knicks (3-4) seemed to be in good shape when Karl-Anthony Towns sank a three-pointer to score what became the last of his team-best 34. With a five-point lead in hand, the Knicks had further momentum inch their way when they earned a successful reversal via challenge when Towns was accused of having a block bounce off him out of bounds.

From there, however, Atlanta (4-5) embarked on a 16-6 run to close the game: Clint Capela, who dominated the Knicks in the paint all the night played the hero by hitting the free throws that completed Atlanta's mini-comeback at 1:09 before slamming down an emphatic dunk that pushed the lead to three 23 seconds later.

Wih the loss, the Knicks not only dropped the latter half of a four-game road trip after wins in Miami and Detroit but have also now lost consecutive games for the first time this season.

The Knicks will briefly return home on Friday night when they face the reeling Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

Make sure you bookmark All Knicks for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

• Ryan Embraces Knicks' Familiarity
• Simmons Rips 'Irrelevant' Knicks Trade
• Embiid To Debut vs. Knicks
• Former Knicks Broadcaster Dies at 54
• Nuggets Star to Miss Knicks' Visit?